T20 World Cup 2021: Match 17, Afghanistan vs Scotland Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

Preview

Afghanistan and Scotland are set to cross swords in Match No.17 of the T20 World Cup on Monday, October 25 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. The Afghans, led by Mohammad Nabi, started the warmups with a hefty 41-run loss to South Africa after which they defeated the West Indies.

They made a direct qualification to the Super 12s, and will be in for a tough challenge. The Kyle Coetzer-led Scotland, on the other hand, are on a three-match winning streak in the tournament. They began their journey with a six-run win over Bangladesh following which they got the better of Oman and PNG.

Match Details

Match – Afghanistan vs Scotland – Match 17

Venue – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah

Time – 07:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network

Pitch Report

The pitch in Sharjah has generally been a bowlers’ paradise. Spinners have mostly dictated terms on the surface. However, Bangladesh’s game against Sri Lanka turned out to be a high-scoring affair. Batting second should be the way forward for both teams.

Average score: 144 (63 T20Is in Sharjah)

Record of Chasing teams: Won – 28, Lost – 24, Tied – 1

Probable Playing XIs

Afghanistan

Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (C), Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq

Bench: Hamid Hassan, Fareed Ahmad, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Usman Ghani

Scotland

George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Wheal

Bench: Alasdair Evans, Dylan Budge, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace

Head-to-head

Overall

Matches- 6, Afghanistan – 6, Scotland – 0, Tied- 0

In T20 World Cups

Matches- 1, Afghanistan – 1, Scotland – 0, Tied- 0

Probable best batter of the match

Richie Berrington (Scotland)

Richie Berrington has been one of the most prolific run-scorers for Scotland across formats. In 69 T20Is, the right-handed batter has notched 1620 runs at an average of 33.06 and a strike rate of 128.67. He couldn’t score big against Bangladesh, but made impressive comebacks against PNG and Oman. Berrington is someone, who can alter gears as per the match situation.

Probable best bowler of the match

Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

Rashid Khan has been a prolific run-scorer for Afghanistan ever since he made his debut back in 2015. In 51 T20Is, he has already eked out 95 wickets. His economy rate of 6.21 suggests that he can keep the batters in check. Impeccable line and lengths mean that Rashid has become a globetrotter in the T20 format. Not to forget that Rashid can also play his shots to good effect.

Today’s match prediction: Afghanistan to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.